Family
by Rebecca Cage
Summary: When tragedy strikes the NCIS team at a crime scene, the team must all come together to rally around a hero. What will happen when, as a family unites in the face of danger, a link is found to a dark part of the team's past? Also what will happen when the team must face a risk to another of their own in order to save the day. Will the return of a familiar face help? Or hurt?
1. Chapter 1

Family

An NCIS Fanfiction

Chapter 1

It was a cold evening in Washington, with the darkening sky filled with clouds that were forecasted to begin dumping snow on the area before morning, a prediction that was supported by the biting chill in the air as Gibbs walked into the Navy Yard from his coffee run. Tossing his cup into the garbage as he got off the elevator, he strolled into the bull pen where his team were sitting at their desks.

"Listen up. Grab your gear. Got a dead marine in Georgetown. Bishop, call Palmer and tell him what we've got." Gibbs said as Bishop picked up her phone and had a quick conversation as McGee and Torres got up and followed Gibbs to the elevator.

"What do we know?" McGee asked as Bishop slipped into the elevator with them and the door slid closed.

"Looks like it was a hit and run right now. That's what Metro's saying anyway."

"Why don't I believe that's all there is to it?" Torres asked, looking at the others in the elevator.

"Maybe because it probably isn't."

"I guess we'll find out when we get there. Jimmy's already on the way."

* * *

When they arrived on the scene, Gibbs and his team piled out of the car and he approached the sergeant from Metro and showed his badge and credentials. Judging from the look of the sky, it was obvious that they needed to get started immediately before the weather that was threatening set in and they lost key evidence to the impending snowstorm.

"Special Agent Gibbs, NCIS. What've you got for us?"

"Call came in from a witness right before we called you who saw the accident. When my people got on the scene and saw that the victim was a marine, we decided that it was better to yield jurisdiction to NCIS. That being said, my people will give you any assistance that you may need."

"Thank you, Sergeant." Gibbs said, before turning to his team. "Torres interview the witness. Bishop canvas the area and bag any evidence you find to get it back to Kasie. McGee, take photos of the scene."

As his team got to work on the scene, Gibbs moved over to where the victim had landed. He wasn't at all surprised to find Jimmy Palmer already kneeling over the body, taking notes. The young man had slid easily into the job of medical examiner and it was to be expected. He had trained for years under Ducky's counsel after all.

"What've you got here, Palmer?"

"Well, at first glance it looks like the cause of death was blunt force trauma from the accident. There are some marks on the body that don't seem to fit though. Once I get him back on the table I'll know more.

"Here, Jimmy, let me give you a hand getting him loaded into the van." McGee offered, letting the camera fall around his neck and moving to help his friend.

"Thanks, Tim. This is one part of the job that's hard getting used to doing by myself."

As the two men were finishing getting the stretcher loaded into the M.E. van, a ricocheting sound rang through the air, causing McGee to jump. Drawing his gun, McGee spun and immediately began scanning the area for the source of the sound.

"What was that? It sounded like a gunshot." Jimmy asked, closing the door to the van quickly as he came to stand and McGee's side.

"I'm not sure. I don't see anything. Just keep your guard up."

Just then, they heard another sound, farther away than the first. In that moment Jimmy turned and saw the flash of a gunshot in the dark. Without even thinking, he lunged toward where McGee stood directly in the line of fire.

"Tim look out!" Jimmy shouted, shoving McGee to the ground as pain ripped through his back, stealing his breath.

"Jimmy!" McGee shouted as he rolled to his feet and ran to Jimmy's side, checking his friend's condition. "Boss I need help over here!"

Upon hearing the gunshot and McGee's frantic shouts, Gibbs and Bishop both came running, reaching the pair at virtually the same time. Gibbs made a beeline for McGee, crouching down on Jimmy's other side.

"Bishop, call 911!" Gibbs called as Bishop pulled her cell phone from her pocket and got an ambulance on the way to them. "What happened, McGee?"

"I don't know, Boss. I was helping Jimmy load the body into the van when we heard what sounded like a car backfiring. I was securing the scene and checking for threats when we heard another noise and then the next thing I knew Jimmy hollered my name and shoved me down."

"Gun." Jimmy gasped, pulling on McGee's sleeve.

"What?"

"Was… a… gun. Saw… the… flash."

"Okay. We're on it. Hang in there, Palmer. Help's on the way. You're going to be okay." Gibbs said as Jimmy lost consciousness, sagging heavily against McGee's chest as he tried to hold his dead weight steady without falling over himself.

"Bishop find Torres and canvas this entire area. Look for any shell casings or any other evidence of where that shot came from. Get anything you find back to Kasie for analysis. Someone shot one of our people, and I damn sure intend to find out who it was."

"Boss, this is bad. Where the hell is that damn ambulance!" McGee snapped, trying to keep himself in one piece.

"I hear them now. How's he doing?" Gibbs asked, turning back to McGee as Bishop turned and went in search of the fourth member of their team.

"It's bad, Boss. Jimmy's breathing is really labored, and I can't seem to get this bleeding to stop. I'm really worried."

"Agent Gibbs, I heard one of your people is down. What can we do to assist?"

"Can you help my team search the area? There was a gunshot from somewhere in that direction. I'd appreciate any help that you'd be willing to give."

Just then, they heard sirens in the distance as the ambulance roared into view. As the medics worked to prepare to transport Jimmy to the hospital, McGee stepped back and leaned against the M.E. van, pale and shaking. He was running through everything that had happened in his mind, trying to figure out what he had somehow managed to miss when a hand on his shoulder brought him back to reality

"McGee go with Palmer in the ambulance and keep me updated on his condition. You need to get yourself checked out too." Gibbs said, concerned at the pallor in his senior agent's face.

"I'm okay, Boss." McGee tried to argue, stopping short as Gibbs lightly gripped his shoulders, reaching up to rest a caring hand on the back of his friend's neck.

"Tim, you told me yourself that Palmer pushed you clear of the gunshot. You might have injured something when you hit the ground. I want to make sure you're both taken care of."

"Okay. What are you going to do, Boss?"

"I'm going to take the M.E. van back to the Navy Yard so the body can be stored until we can call in a pinch hitter for Palmer. Then I'm going to brief Vance and get Kasie started on the evidence that Bishop and Torres are gathering before I meet up with you at the hospital."

"Right. Oh God. Someone needs to call Breena and let her know what happened so she can be there at the hospital." McGee said suddenly, paling even further as he sat on the back of the ambulance.

"Yeah, I've got Sloane on it. She's on her way over there now to let Breena know about the situation and give her a ride to the hospital."

"Okay, we're ready to roll." The medic said, coming to the back of the ambulance and approaching the two agents, taking in McGee with concern. "Do you need medical attention as well, Agent McGee?"

"Yeah, my agent needs to be checked out. He hit the ground pretty hard I think when he was pushed clear of the gunshot." Gibbs answered, taking a step back as the second medic came from the other side and helped McGee to sit on the bench in the back of the ambulance alongside the stretcher.

"Seems to me he may be in a little bit of shock as well. We'll get someone to check him over at the hospital and make sure he's okay."

"Thank you." Gibbs said, turning to McGee. "Keep me updated on Palmer's condition and let me know you're okay after you get checked out. Once I'm finished at the Navy Yard I'll meet you at the hospital."

"Gotcha, Boss." McGee said as the doors closed and the ambulance roared off into the distance, sirens blaring into the night.

"Gibbs." Bishop's voice broke into Gibbs's thoughts as she and Torres walked up to him.

"What've you got?"

"Actually, more than we expected. We found a shell casing on the roof of that office building across the street. Looks like it could have come from the shooter. This guy didn't police his brass as well as he thought." Torres said, handing the evidence bag to Gibbs.

"Either that or he's trying to taunt us." Gibbs pointed out.

"You mean the shooter wants us to know they shot one of our people?" Bishop asked.

"Wouldn't be the first time, Bishop. You two finish interviewing any witnesses and then head on back to the Navy Yard. I'm going to head back with the body and get this casing to Kasie so she can get forensics on it so we can nail the bastard who aimed at McGee and shot Palmer."

"Wait, Gibbs. You mean the guy who shot Jimmy was aiming at McGee?" Torres blurted, his eyes a blaze of raw fury that was frightening, causing Bishop to take a step backward.

"Yeah. McGee said that he was helping Palmer load the body into the van when they heard the gunshot and apparently Palmer saw the flash from the shot and shoved McGee out of the way. If he hadn't, Tim would have been hit." Gibbs informed his team. "I'm going to head back and brief Vance and get things going on the investigation then I'm going to head over to the hospital. Once you two finish up I want you to meet us there."

"Sure, Gibbs. We'll keep you updated on what we find. Let us know when you get an update on Jimmy." Bishop agreed as Gibbs simply nodded to her and headed to the M.E. van to head back to the Navy Yard, trying to ignore the ache beginning to build in her head. He had a bad feeling that they were in for a very long night.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

When Gibbs got back to the Navy Yard and was able to find help getting the body of the hit and run victim stored securely in Autopsy, Gibbs took the elevator up to the bull pen and slowly climbed the stairs to the Director's office. In that moment, Gibbs felt like he had the weight of the whole world bearing down on him as he reached the door of the office.

In his office, Leon Vance was sitting behind his desk going over some paperwork when he heard two sharp knocks on his door. Wondering what the issue was since most of the personnel had left hours before in order to try to beat the bad weather, Vance looked up from the file folder in front of him.

"Come in." Vance called professionally, his demeanor instantly shifting to concern when he saw Gibbs walk in. His friend looked haunted and more stressed than Vance had ever seen him. Also, for Gibbs to knock before coming into his office meant that there had to be something very serious on his mind.

"Need to talk to you, Leon. We've got a problem."

"Of course. But first off, sit down before I end up having to haul you off the floor. You look like you've seen a ghost." Vance began, pausing to give Gibbs a moment to drop heavily into the chair across from him. "Ok. What's on your mind, Gibbs? Last I heard you and your team were on the way to investigate a hit and run in Georgetown."

"Yeah. We did that. Got the body in storage down in Autopsy. But when we were securing the scene everything went to hell."

"I assume it has something to do with the problem you mentioned."

"Yeah. Well we need to find someone to come in and act as M.E. to conduct the autopsy on the hit and run victim. That's the biggest part of the problem."

"I don't understand, Gibbs. Why can't Dr. Palmer perform the autopsy?" Vance asked, suddenly getting a very bad feeling about where this conversation was heading.

"Because Palmer was shot at the crime scene, Leon."

"What!?"

"Yeah, when McGee was helping Palmer load the body there was a gunshot from the roof of an office building across the street from the crime scene. Apparently, Palmer saw the flash from where he was standing and pushed McGee out of the line of fire but couldn't get himself clear in time. Palmer took the bullet. I've got Bishop and Torres securing the scene and interviewing witnesses. They were able to find a shell casing on the roof of the office building and I'm about to take it down to Kasie so she can run ballistics on it. The casing was in plain sight according to Torres. It's like the shooter was taking aim at us. If Palmer hadn't acted when he did, it would have been McGee who took the hit." Gibbs explained, swallowing the bile that had risen in the back of his throat.

"Gibbs, are you saying that Agent McGee may have been the shooter's intended target?"

"I don't know yet, Leon. We need to get a team out there to help Bishop and Torres secure and sketch the scene. All I know is what I gathered after the shooting happened. Before Palmer passed out, he told us that it was a gun and that he saw the flash. McGee told me that they had just finished loading the body when Palmer called out to him and shoved him to the ground. I know we need Kasie to get ballistics on the bullet and we need to try to find the gun. I want this bastard, Leon! He hurt one of our people."

"We'll get him, Gibbs. Do you know anything about Dr. Palmer? Where is Agent McGee?"

"I haven't heard anything about Palmer's condition yet. The medic said it looked bad, but I haven't heard more. I send McGee to the hospital to get himself checked over and to keep me updated on things. I wanted to make sure that McGee wasn't hurt when he hit the ground because he said he landed hard and also, I think he was going into a little bit of shock from the situation. I wanted a doctor to give him a good look. As soon as I get the evidence down to the lab I'm going to head to the hospital and check on things from myself."

"That's a good idea. I'll make a call to Dr. Hampton up in Baltimore and see if she can spare a few days to come down and help us with this case and fill in for Dr. Palmer. I know that she is someone that he and Dr. Mallard know and trust. Then I'll take a drive over to inform Dr. Palmer's wife that there's been an accident. She shouldn't hear this over the phone."

"I've already got Jack on going to get Breena. She's going to take her over to the hospital. But damn it I hadn't even thought yet to call Ducky. He needs to know what's going on. I'm sure he'll be on the first flight he can get out of New York. I'm going to make that call as soon as I'm done. This will be enough of a shock in itself; I think it would be better if he heard it from me."

"Ok. Keep me in the loop on this."

"Of course. Now I need to go fill Kasie in so I can get out to the hospital." Gibbs said as he turned and left the office, heading for the elevator.

* * *

When Gibbs entered the forensics lab, he stopped when he saw Kasie working on her computer. He didn't know why but in moments like this, she reminded him so much of Abby that it made his stomach twist in pain. Setting his jaw, he walked over to the forensic scientist, pulling the evidence bag from his jacket when she turned to look on him.

"Hey, Gibbs." Kasie said brightly, her smile fading almost instantly when she noticed her superior's pinched expression. "What's wrong?"

"I need you to put anything else you currently have going on the back burner, Kasie. I need you to get me ballistics on this shell casing ASAP. It's top priority."

"Wait, I'm confused. You guys went to deal with a hit and run. I ran into Jimmy as he was heading out the door. Why would you need me to run ballistics on a bullet casing? Is there another case other than the hit and run?"

"Yeah, there is. Kasie, there was a shooting while we were processing the crime scene tonight. I don't know how to say this, but that casing came from a bullet that shot one of our people. That's why I need to know whatever you can tell me. I'll get the actual bullet to you as soon as I get it. I'm heading to the hospital as soon as I'm finished here." Gibbs said as Kasie's eyes went wide and she stared at him like a deer in the headlights.

"Information overload here. Who was shot? What's going on?"

"Palmer was shot at the crime scene. Pushed McGee out of the way of the bullet. We think the shooter might have been aiming at McGee or may have just been targeting anyone with NCIS. We don't know that yet. That's why I need you on the bullet casing, Kasie. So, we can find the bastard who did this and get some answers."

"Oh my God! Jimmy was shot? I mean, how is he? Was McGee hurt? I can't believe this." Kasie shouted as Gibbs grasped her shoulders and helped her to sit down.

"McGee wasn't hurt in the shooting. He was in a little bit of shock and hit the ground hard when Palmer pushed him free, so he went to the hospital to get checked out and update me on what's going on down there. I haven't heard from him since he left the crime scene. I don't know much about Palmer's condition. He was unconscious when he was taken away in the ambulance. I'm sure they probably have him in surgery by now. That's one reason I need to get to the hospital. In his current state of mind, I'm not sure McGee would remember to tell the surgeon that we need the bullet when he removes it so I can get it to you for forensic testing. I promise when I have news, I'll call you." Gibbs reassured the young woman, gently rubbing her back to calm her.

"Ok. Wait has anyone called Ducky? I mean does he know what happened? He needs to be here. He considers Jimmy his family."

"I'm going to call him as soon as I get to the hospital and have some news to tell him. I know once he hears what's going on, he will be on the first plane he can get."

"Okay. I'll get to work on this casing right now. Get to the hospital and please keep me posted. Let me know as soon as you get that bullet. I want to help put the nail in this bastard's coffin." Kasie said, turning back to her computer, the casing in her trembling fingers.

"You and me both." Gibbs whispered, kissing Kasie gently on the cheek as he headed for the elevator.

* * *

Back at the hospital, McGee had just finished being seen by the doctor in the emergency department and was waiting to hear what he had to say. If he was honest with himself, he thought it was ridiculous that the doctors were making a fuss over him being scuffed up from a fall when Jimmy was critically injured.

"Okay, Agent McGee. Other than a strained muscle in your back from where you landed on it, which should heal on its own within a week or so, I can't find any other injuries other than a few scrapes. You are very lucky. I'm going to get your paperwork together to discharge you from care, set you up with a script for something to help with the pain of the strained back muscle and then you'll be good to go. I'm sure you're probably going to stay here to wait for news about your friend." The doctor said gently.

"Yeah, I'm not going to be leaving. Have you heard anything about how Jimmy is? He was in rough shape when he got here, I know. I'm really worried about him." McGee asked, not entirely sure he wanted to hear the answer.

"Well, Dr. Palmer is in surgery right now. I do know that the trauma team were able to get the bleeding stopped before he went into surgery and they are trying to determine the extent of the damage. I've already told the surgeon to preserve the bullet when he removes it so that your people can gather what information you can from it. I'm afraid I don't know anything other than that. I'll make sure to have the surgeon come and update you when he's finished. I know it's hard but try not to worry. I promise Dr. Palmer is in the best of hands and we will do everything in our power to ensure he recovers."

"Thank you. He saved my life tonight. I want you to let me know if there is anything I can do to help."

"I will." The doctor promised as he left the room to process McGee's discharge papers.

* * *

As she pulled up outside of the Palmers' apartment building, Agent Jack Sloane took a deep breath to steady her nerves before reaching for the door handle. As a forensic psychologist on the team, these types of notification duties often fell to her but for some reason this one unnerved her and made her feel as though she were back in medical school. These assignments were always difficult but the fact that this one involved notifying the wife of someone she considered a dear friend that he had been seriously injured made her stomach cave in on itself.

Stepping out of the car into the snow that had just started falling, Jack slipped her hands into the pockets of her overcoat to hide the shaking that wasn't just from the biting chill in the air. As she stepped into the building and approached the correct apartment, Sloane wondered for a moment if she was truly cut out for this type of thing. Knocking on the door, she stepped back and her heart fell to her feet when the door swung open fast and she found herself looking down into the face of a beautiful blonde-haired little girl who she immediately recognized as Jimmy's daughter.

"Hi!" Victoria said, her smile bright and showcasing the missing tooth that she had lost just that morning.

"Hi, sweetheart. Where's your mommy? I need to talk to her."

"Do you work with Daddy?" The little girl asked inquisitively, noticing the shirt that she wore under her now open coat.

"Yes, I do."

"Okay." Victoria turned away from the door and ran down the hallway. "Mommy! A friend of Daddy's is outside!"

A few minutes later, Jimmy's wife Breena appeared from the back hallway with Victoria on her hip. Seeing Jack standing in the doorway and the look in her eyes made her pause and she put her daughter down and knelt in front of her.

"Vic, why don't you go and play with your toys in your room while Mommy talks to Daddy's friend?"

"Okay, Mommy. I'll play princess tea party!" Victoria shouted happily, running down the hall to her bedroom. Breena waited until she heard the door close before speaking again.

"Sorry. I just got a feeling from the look on your face that whatever you need to tell me shouldn't be said within earshot of a 3-year-old." Breena said, a knot of unease tightening her stomach.

"That was a good idea. I think we should sit down." Sloane began, waiting for Breena to sit on the couch and sitting down beside her before continuing. "There really isn't any easy way to say this, Breena, but there was an accident tonight at a crime scene NCIS was working. I'm so sorry but Jimmy was shot. He's at the hospital now. That's why I'm here, to bring you to the hospital."

"Oh my God. What happened? How was Jimmy shot? He's not an agent. I don't understand." Breena said in shock as Sloane took her hand, trying to keep her voice down to avoid alarming her little girl.

"I don't know everything because Gibbs is still working on figuring out details, but from what I was able to gather Jimmy wasn't the one who was targeted. Whoever shot him was aiming at Agent McGee and Jimmy pushed him out of the path of the bullet. I need to get you to the hospital. Is there someone that you would like me to call who can come and stay with your daughter?"

"Our neighbor usually watches Victoria when Jimmy and I are both working. I don't know if she's home right now."

"Okay. I'll go check for you. What apartment is your neighbor in?"

"143. Just down the hall." Breena said shakily, wanting to stand up and pace but not trusting her legs to support her.

"Okay. I'll be back." Sloane said reassuringly, disappearing down the corridor. A few minutes later she returned followed by a slightly older woman who rushed forward and wrapped Breena in a strong embrace.

"Oh, Breena. I'm so sorry to hear about what happened. Are you okay?"

"Not really, Mrs. Albertson. I need to figure out what's going on with Jimmy. Do you mind staying with Victoria?" Breena asked, squeezing her neighbor's hand momentarily.

"Of course, I will, dear. Victoria will be safe with me. Please keep me posted on Jimmy."

"I will. I'll text you when I know more. Victoria is playing in her room. I'm going to say goodbye to her and tell her I'm going out. She doesn't know what happened. All she knows is a friend of Jimmy's knocked on the door." Breena said softly as she walked down the hall to her daughter's bedroom. At the sight of her little girl playing on the floor surrounded by her favorite dolls and stuffed animals, she had to take a deep breath. "Hey, Vic. Mommy needs to go out for a little bit. I have to help Daddy's friend. Mrs. Albertson is going to watch you. Be a good girl and maybe she will make some cookies with you after you have supper."

"Okay, Mommy. I like Miss Alberson. She's nice." Victoria grinned, turning back to her doll tea party, her innocence making her mother's breath catch in her chest.

Coming back to the living room, Breena wiped a tear from her eye as she put on the coat that Sloane held out to her. As she left her daughter in the care of her neighbor, Breena silently prayed that her and her young daughter's lives wouldn't be shattered forever.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Back at the hospital, Tim McGee paced the small waiting room that he was in, hoping pointlessly that this entire thing was just a bad nightmare. Just then he heard footsteps and he tensed, looking up to see Gibbs rushing toward him.

"Hey, Boss."

"Hey. What did the doctor say? Any updates?"

"I'm ok. Just a sprained muscle in my back from where I hit the ground. The doctor said I was lucky. The last I heard from anyone Jimmy's still in surgery. The doctor who checked me over told me they got the bleeding stopped before they took him to the operating room. I hope someone comes and tells us something soon. The surgeon already knows to get the bullet to us as soon as he's out of surgery."

"Tim!" Breena called as she and Sloane came rushing into the waiting room. "Are you okay? Have you heard anything?"

"I'm okay. Jimmy's still in surgery right now. They did stop the bleeding before they took him back so that's a good thing." McGee began, pulling his friend into a hug. "I'm so sorry, Breena. I should have been paying attention to…"

"Stop." Breena said, putting a finger over McGee's lips to cut off his self-blame. "This isn't your fault. You didn't shoot Jimmy and you didn't make him push you out of the way. The only person who is to blame here is the person who fired that damn weapon."

"She's right, Tim. This isn't your fault." Sloane agreed, stepping over to rest a hand on McGee's arm.

"Thanks guys." McGee said quietly, glancing at his watch. "It's been about three hours since I last heard anything about how Jimmy is holding up. Someone should have told us something by now."

"Excuse me. Are you folks with the gunshot victim who came in?" The young doctor asked as he walked into the waiting room and looked at the group.

"Yeah." Gibbs acknowledged, pulling his badge from his jacket pocket and showing it to the doctor. "Special Agent Gibbs, NCIS. Special Agent McGee. Special Agent Sloane. This is Dr. Palmer's wife. What can you tell us about his condition?"

"He survived the surgery, which was the first big hurdle. The bullet just barely missed damaging his liver and caused other internal damage. We repaired the worst of it and gave him a transfusion. Unfortunately, due to the extent of the damage, I've had to place Dr. Palmer into a medically induced coma to aid in the healing process." The doctor explained as Breena's legs gave out beneath her and she collapsed to her knees, McGee kneeling beside her. "Agent Gibbs, I was told to give you this. It's the bullet that we pulled out of your man."

"Thank you, doctor." Gibbs said at the doctor walked quietly from the room. "Hey, I'll be back. I need to get this bullet back to the Navy Yard and into Kasie's hands. The sooner she gets it, the sooner we can find the bastard who shot Palmer and nail his sorry ass to the wall."

"No, let me go, Gibbs. You're needed here. Plus, my car has four-wheel drive so I can get there and back quicker anyway. I won't be long."

"Gibbs." Bishop said quietly as she and Torres arrived and walked into the room to join them. Noticing the scene before her, she stepped over to Gibbs and lowered her voice to a whisper. "Is everything ok?"

"Not really, Bishop. But it could be worse. What'd you find?"

"We found something big at the scene where the shot came from."

"At least we think it could be big. Really we don't know what to make of it." Torres added, pulling a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to Gibbs.

"What the hell does this mean?" Gibbs blurted, getting a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. "Torres catch up to Jack and have her get this to Kasie and tell her to run it for prints. Bishop stay with McGee and Breena. I need to make a phone call. Been putting it off long enough."

* * *

In the living room of his small apartment in New York where he was staying during his second university residency, Ducky was settling in for the evening and had just sat down with a cup of tea to watch some television when his cell phone began ringing. Glancing at the caller ID, Ducky smiled as he reached for the phone and accepted the call.

"Hello, Jethro! I was just going to call you tomorrow. You have always had a knack for knowing things like that." Ducky said happily, pleased to catch up with his friend.

"I hope I'm not calling at a bad time, but I'm sorry to say this isn't a social call. We've got a problem, Duck. How fast can you get back to DC? It's an emergency." Gibbs began, knowing from years of experience that there was no easy way to begin these kinds of conversations.

"An emergency? Whatever is the matter, Jethro?" Ducky asked, a knot of dread forming in his stomach as he heard a long, heavy sigh come through the connection. "Jethro?"

"Ah, damn it. I just don't know how to say this, Ducky. It's Palmer."

"Jimmy? Why would you be calling me with an autopsy emergency? Why wouldn't Jimmy call me himself? And what in the world could have happened in Autopsy that could be such a crisis?"

"Not an autopsy problem that's the emergency, Duck."

"Then what?" Ducky asked, his sense of dread rising as he sat down at his computer and started searching for flights to DC.

"Palmer was shot, Ducky. At a crime scene earlier tonight."

"Dear God. How bad?"

Another sigh came over the line before Gibbs continued. "Bad enough. Doctor was just in right before I came out to call you. He said they got the bleeding stopped before they took him into surgery, and they were able to repair most of the damage and give Palmer a transfusion to replace the blood he lost."

"But?"

"Because of the damage, the doctor put Jimmy in a coma. I wish I knew more than that but that's all anyone's told us up to this point."

"Oh dear. What about Breena and Victoria? Surely you've let them know." Ducky asked, his thoughts immediately turning to the family of the young man who was the closest thing he would ever have to a family as he finished the booking process for a flight to Washington.

"Yeah. Breena's here. Jack went to get her and brought her to the hospital. She told me that Breena left Victoria at home in the care of a neighbor. She's trying to hold it together but she's obviously terrified. Really need you here, Duck."

"I'm already on my way to the airport, Jethro. Luckily, I'm not that far. My flight leaves LaGuardia in a little under two hours. I should be there by 9:00."

"Copy that, Duck. I'll come pick you up. What airport are you coming into?" Gibbs asked, welcoming the distraction that came with temporarily changing the subject.

"I was able to get a direct flight into Dulles. I'll let you know as soon as I land. Hang in there, Jethro. Support is on the way." Ducky said as he ended the call, placing his phone in the pocket of his coat. As he parked his car in the airport garage and hurried into the terminal, Ducky said a silent prayer that he wouldn't find himself walking into an unspeakable tragedy when he landed in Washington. "I'm on the way, Jimmy. Please hang on."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"Kasie?" Sloane called tentatively as she walked into the lab in search of the team's newly appointed forensic scientist, evidence bags in hand.

"Over here."

"I have the bullet for you to run forensics on. Also, Bishop and Torres found this I guess you'd call it a calling card of some sort at the site where the shot came from. Gibbs wants you to see if you can pull prints from it to help ID the suspect." Sloane began, noticing with concern that the young woman appeared more distracted than she had ever seen her. Approaching cautiously, she rested her hand on Kasie's arm. "Hey, you okay?"

"Not really. I can't wrap my head around what's happening. I mean, Jimmy was shot. I'm scared I don't have what it takes to help Gibbs figure out who shot him." Kasie admitted, pulling off her glasses and resting her head in her hands.

"Hey. It's okay to be scared, we're all very scared right now, but you shouldn't doubt yourself. I know for a fact that Vance wouldn't have hired you to replace Abby if you didn't have what it takes. You can do this. I know you can. Jimmy is counting on you to help us to find who shot him."

"Okay. You're right. Thanks, Agent Sloane." Kasie said, replacing her glasses on her nose and examining the evidence that was handed to her. "I'm going to get right to figuring out what make and caliber of gun fired this bullet and figure this note out. While I'm pulling any prints from it. I'll also run it through a translation program to see if I can get any clues to the shooter from whatever is written here."

"There ya go. Gibbs wants you to let him know as soon as you have something." Sloane smiled, patting Kasie on the shoulder as she headed out of the lab. Gibbs had asked her to update Vance on the current state of things and she wanted to catch him before she headed back to the hospital.

"Leon?"

"Come in, Jack. What's on your mind?" Vance asked, setting his briefcase back beside his chair as she entered the office. "How is Dr. Palmer?"

"Gibbs wanted me to give you an update on what's happening. Jimmy is out of surgery and he's alive but it's bad, Leon. The doctor put him in a coma due to the extent of his injuries. When I left Bishop and Torres had just come from the crime scene and they found an odd note or calling card or something in another language. I just took it and the bullet to Kasie for analysis. I'm actually about to head back to the hospital now."

"How is Dr. Palmer's wife holding up? Also how is Agent McGee?"

"Breena's terrified but she's trying so hard to stay strong. She nearly lost it when the doctor told us that Jimmy is in a coma. McGee is really hard to read right now which is out of the ordinary to start. Physically he's okay, he sprained a muscle in his back when Jimmy shoved him to the ground but other than that he wasn't seriously injured. Mentally he's obviously very shaken but I have a bad feeling that this is affecting him a lot more than he's letting on right now. Until this crisis resolves, we're going to have to keep a close eye on him, Leon."

"No one better to do that than you, Jack. Keep me posted. Tell Gibbs that I'm going to stop by the hospital later tonight after I get dinner for Jared and get him started on his schoolwork." Vance said, hating the helpless feeling that had settled in him.

"I will."

* * *

After hanging up with Ducky, Gibbs walked back into the waiting room to find McGee and Torres sitting in the far corner alone, talking quietly. The women were nowhere to be found. Upon hearing Gibbs approaching, the two men looked up at him.

"Hey, Boss. We were wondering where you went. I thought you might have had to run back to the office."

"No, just stepped out into the hall. I had to make a phone call. I needed to let Ducky know what's going on. He needs to be here. Caught a flight from LaGuardia to Dulles. I'm going to be leaving again in about an hour to go pick him up at the airport. Where are the women?" Gibbs asked, glancing around the quiet room.

"Breena needed to take a walk and wanted a cup of coffee. Ellie didn't think she needed to be alone, so she went with her." Torres answered.

"That was a good idea. She shouldn't be alone right now. And Bishop knows better than most what Breena's dealing with right now. Did you manage to get the note you found to Sloane before she left?"

"Yeah. She took it to Kasie. Hopefully she can figure out who wrote it and give us a lead on who shot Jimmy."

"She will. This is personal for all of us. She'll give it her all just like Abby would have." Gibbs agreed as McGee suddenly paled. Gibbs immediately crossed the room to sit next to his senior field agent, resting a hand on the back of the younger man's neck.

"What's wrong, Tim? You okay?"

"Yeah, McGee. You look like you just saw a ghost." Torres agreed as he came over to the pair and handed McGee a cup of water.

"I just realized that Abby and Tony don't know what's happening. Someone should call them. I know they'll want to be here."

"You want me to?" Torres offered, wanting to do what he could to help.

"Thanks, Nick. But this is probably something that I should handle. It's after midnight in Europe and if they have to be woken up in the middle of the night for something like this, it's probably better that I do it. I appreciate the offer though." McGee said softly, dreading what he had to do but earnestly appreciating his friend's concern.

"Before you do that, Tim, have you had a chance to talk to Delilah yet? She'll want to know that you're okay." Gibbs pointed out.

"Yeah, I talked to Dee while you were out of the room. She's going to make her way here as soon as she can. She has to wait for her mom to come and stay with the twins." McGee began, pulling his phone out of his pocket thankful it hadn't been damaged when he hit the ground earlier. "I can't put this off any longer. Would you sit with me while I make the call, Boss?"

"Sure, Tim. I've got your back."

* * *

In her hotel room in Paris where she had been for several days while she took care of some business for the charity she founded when she moved to London, Abby sat up in her bed as she heard her cell phone ringing on the table beside her. Concern crossed her face when she looked at the caller ID on the screen. McGee knew the time difference between them all too well considering that they spoke on the phone at least once a week so for him to be calling her in the middle of the night meant that something serious must be wrong.

"Hey, McGee. Are you okay? Did you forget the time difference?" Abby asked tiredly as she answered the call.

"No, I know it's after midnight there. Sorry to wake you up, Abbs, but this is important. I need you to get on the first flight back to DC." McGee began, a sick feeling forming in his stomach at the question that he knew was coming next.

"Why? What's going on? Talk to me, McGee. I can tell you're seriously freaked out and that's not normal for you. Tell me what's wrong."

"Abby there's something serious going on here. Jimmy is in the hospital."

"What? Why, what happened? Is Jimmy okay?"

"No, he's in really bad shape, Abbs. Jimmy was shot at a crime scene earlier tonight. He just came out of surgery but he's critical. The doctors have him in a coma for the time being to help him start to stabilize." McGee said, the gasp he heard on the other end of the line tearing his heart out as he felt Gibbs rest a comforting hand on his back.

"Does Tony know what happened?" Abby asked suddenly, catching McGee a bit off guard.

"No, not yet. I was just about to call him."

"I'm in Paris right now doing some business for the foundation so I'll get someone to come from London to cover for me and then I'll go over to Tony's apartment and let him know what's going on. He should hear this in person. We can catch the same flight. I'll text you when I know an arrival time. Hang in there, Timmy."

"Okay, Abbs. We'll see you probably sometime tomorrow." McGee said quietly as he disconnected the call and took a deep, shaky breath. "That was hard."

"That kind of thing is never easy. Trust me, I've had more than my share of experience in my life." Gibbs told him reassuringly. "What did Abby say?"

"She was freaked out, of course, when I told her what happened. She said she's in Paris doing business for the foundation so she's going to go over and tell Tony what happened, and they'll be on the first flight in the morning I'm sure. I'm glad Abby offered to fill Tony in because honestly, Boss, I don't know if I could have handled explaining all that again."

"I understand. I hate to leave, McGee, even for a minute with everything that's going down, but Ducky should be arriving at Dulles within the hour and I need to go and pick him up. I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Don't worry, Gibbs. Bishop and I have got McGee's back too." Torres said confidently, sitting at McGee's other side as Gibbs stood and left the room heading for the parking garage.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Back in Paris, Abby was in a cab headed to Tony's apartment at 1:00 in the morning to share news that she would give anything not to have to. After she had her assistant come to Paris to finish her business, all Abby could think about was filling Tony in and getting them both to DC where they were desperately needed. As the cab pulled up in front of Tony's building and she paid the driver before dashing inside, she was dreading the impending conversation with a sense of fear that she had never felt in her life.

A loud rapid pounding on his door startled Tony DiNozzo out of a sound sleep. Sitting up rapidly, he tapped the side of his watch to light up the face and groaned when he noticed the time. Getting out of bed, DiNozzo hurried through the living room of his apartment to answer the door before the noise disturbed his young daughter.

"This had better be important for someone to be beating on my door at this hour." DiNozzo grumbled to himself as he opened the door, only to be nearly knocked off his feet when Abby launched herself at him, pale and trembling.

"Tony! This is horrible. I'm so sorry to wake you up in the middle of the night and I wish I wouldn't have had to, but this is terrible. Like really, really bad." Abby said, clinging so tightly to DiNozzo's neck that he feared she would strangle him.

"Wait, slow down, Abbs. What are you talking about? I'm confused. I was sound asleep when you started banging on my door and then you throw yourself at me and start rambling about something terribly bad. Tell you what? Why don't we sit down, and you can start from the beginning so I can understand whatever it is that upset you so bad that you rushed over here in the middle of the night." DiNozzo said, leading Abby over to sit on the couch as he tried to ignore the knot of dread that had begun tightening in his stomach. He and Tali were supposed to meet Abby for breakfast in the morning so for her to show up at his door in the middle of the night in such a state something must be seriously wrong.

"I got a call from McGee about an hour or so ago. I thought it was weird that he would call me in the middle of the night, especially since he's aware of the time difference. When I answered he told me that something bad had happened. That's why I'm here, Tony. We need to get on the first flight out to DC."

"Why? Abby please tell me what happened. What did Tim tell you that has you this upset?"

"There was a shooting at a crime scene they were working tonight." Abby began, taking a deep breath before continuing as DiNozzo put his arm around her. "I'm still processing everything that McGee said but Jimmy was shot, Tony. He's in the hospital in DC. Tim said he's critical."

"Hold on. What?" DiNozzo stammered in disbelief, unsure he had heard her correctly.

"That was the same reaction I had. I don't know everything because Tim is obviously upset, and I could tell that it was hard for him to tell me what he did about what happened, so I didn't want to push him. He was going to call you himself, but I told him I would come tell you since I'm here and I didn't think you'd want to hear about this over the phone."

"Yeah, thanks Abbs. Let me see if I can book us a flight to DC. The first international flights should start leaving in a few hours. Hopefully there are seats still available." DiNozzo said, opening his laptop and powering it up. "We're in luck. I was able to find us three business class seats to DC on the first flight. It leaves in about four hours, so we need to start getting ready."

"I already have all of my stuff with me." Abby said, pointing to the duffel bag she had discarded by the door during her dramatic entrance. "What can I do to help you?"

"If you wouldn't mind helping me get Tali ready I would really appreciate it. I need to pack, and I need to call Senior and see if he can meet us at the airport and take care of Tali for me."

"Yeah, like he'd say no to that." Abby teased to lighten the mood as the pair heard lightly shuffling footsteps coming from the hallway behind them and turned to see Tony's 5-year-old daughter Tali standing in the living room doorway clutching her favorite stuffed dog and blinking at them owlishly.

"Abba?" Tali said sleepily, lifting her arms into the air as Tony reached for her and hoisted her into his arms.

"Hey, little princess. Sorry we didn't mean to wake you up. But Abba has a surprise for you. How would you like to go on a plane with me and your Auntie Abby and spend some time with Pop Pop?" DiNozzo asked his little girl, trying to keep his tone bright and positive to avoid scaring her.

"Yay! I get to stay at Pop Pop's house?"

"You sure do. He's going to be very happy to see his little bambina. Why don't you go to your room with Auntie Abby and she's going to help you get your things together while I get ready."

"Okay. Love you, Abba." Tali smiled, hugging her father as he handed her over to Abby.

"I love you too princessa."

* * *

As he parked his car in the garage at Dulles, Gibbs looked at his watch and noted the time just as his phone chimed alerting him of a new message. Ducky's plane had arrived a few minutes ahead of schedule thanks to a temporary break in the weather which had also allowed the highway crews to clear the interstate. Shooting off a quick reply to his friend, Gibbs hurried inside and waited at the security exit point for Ducky to appear.

A few minutes later, Ducky emerged from the crowd looking very tense and worried. As soon as he broke from the mass of arriving passengers, Gibbs approached him and put an arm around him.

"Here, let me take your bag for you there, Duck." Gibbs said, taking the bag from Ducky's shoulder and settling it onto his own. "Was your flight okay?"

"About as well as could be expected, Jethro, given the circumstances. Do we know anything more?" Ducky asked, not really in the mood for small talk which spoke volumes as to the older man's state of mind.

"No, not yet. Nothing more than I told you when I called. When I left to come get you, McGee had just called Abby to let her know what happened. She said she was going to tell DiNozzo and they were going to try to get the first flight here."

"Do you have any suspects in the shooting?"

"No luck there either yet. But I'm sure we will soon. Kasie has the bullet and casing as well as a piece of evidence that Bishop and Torres found at the scene. I know she'll update me as soon as she has something."

"Kasie is more than capable. If there are any clues to be found in the evidence as to the bastard who did this, I have no doubt she will find them."

"Yeah. Now let's hurry and get back to the hospital before the weather gets bad again. This break in the storm isn't going to last much longer." Gibbs said as he helped his friend into the car before placing his bag into the back seat.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

At the airport in Paris, Tony and Abby were waiting at the gate with Tali for the boarding announcement for their flight to Washington. Abby was so anxious that she was pacing circles around the chairs that they had claimed in the gate area until Tony stood in her path, placing his hands on her shoulders to stop her.  
"Abby, sit down. You're going to wear yourself out." Tony said gently, leading her over to sit in the chair next to the one he was occupying.  
"I can't help it. I can't believe that this is happening. I mean it feels like we just went through something like this. Are we all cursed or something, Tony?"  
"Somehow, I doubt that, Abbs. I don't really know what to say. All I do know is we won't know the full extent of what's going on until we get to Washington. Now come on and sit down before you wear yourself out. We're going to be boarding soon."  
"You're right, Tony. We need to keep a cool head about this. We don't know what's going on yet other than what McGee told me. Things can change for the better by the time we get to DC." Abby said, dropping into the chair next to Tony.

"Atta girl. We have to stay positive."

"Now you sound like Jimmy." Abby observed as Tony wrapped his arm around her.

* * *

As Gibbs took the exit off the interstate to return to the hospital, the storm picked back up and snow began falling again. Reducing his speed to keep from skidding on the slick roads, Gibbs inwardly cursed the fact that the weather hadn't held off for a little longer. It was then that he looked over at Ducky who looked as though he were miles away.

"Hey, you okay Duck?"

"As much as I can be, Jethro. I was thinking about something that happened years ago."

"The time Palmer chased after a suspect with a gun and then started doubting himself when he didn't catch the guy when he wasn't trained for it." Gibbs guessed, a smile glancing his lips at the memory.

"Indeed." Ducky chuckled. "I can't help but think of the irony given the current situation we're in. I remember that, in an effort to cheer him up, I told Jimmy then that he had it in him to die a hero's death. The irony being that now I'm praying with all my strength that he won't have to."

"He won't. We're all going to do everything we can to make sure that doesn't happen. Plus, I know that he won't give up. He's going to fight his way back." Gibbs reassured his old friend as he pulled the car into the parking garage again. "Now let's get inside and see what's happened since I left to come pick you up."

As Gibbs stepped off the elevator with Ducky in tow, he got a bad feeling that something was off. When they stepped into the waiting room, the looks on the faces of his team were enough to send Gibbs's stomach lurching. Stepping further into the room, Gibbs walked over and approached McGee and Torres who were sitting along the back wall, McGee paler and more rattled than Gibbs had ever seen him.

"What happened here?" Gibbs asked, his unease increasing. Before either of them could answer him, however, Ducky came into the room behind him. As soon as Breena saw him, she turned from where she had been standing with Bishop in the corner and the walls she had up to keep herself strong completely crumbled. When he reached out to her, Breena rushed across the room and broke down in tears in Ducky's arms.

"Can someone please tell me what's going on?" Gibbs asked again.

"The doctor came in just before you and Ducky got here, Boss. Apparently, there was a complication and they had to take Jimmy back into surgery. He couldn't tell us much more than that because they were in a hurry. So, we don't know what happened or how things are going. I haven't really had much of a chance to think about it until now because we've all been trying to help keep Breena calm until we know more about what's going on."

"No one will tell me what's going on. For all I know my husband could be dying and it's like I'm not even here." Breena said tearfully, her frustration with the situation finally surfacing.

"We don't know that, my dear. There really is nothing to be gained from conjecture, especially in this case. The best thing that you can do for Jimmy, and for yourself, is to try your best to remain calm." Ducky said, taking Breena in his arms again and hugging her.

"Ducky's right. Jimmy is one of the strongest people I know. Not to mention his stubbornness. He's not about to check out and leave his family behind without one hell of a fight." Torres pointed out as the others in the room nodded their agreement with his reasoning.

"Tim!" Delilah called as she wheeled herself into the room to join the group, rolling over to where her husband sat staring into nothing and placing her hands over his. "What's wrong? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm okay honey. The doctor checked me over when I got here and said that I'm fine other than a sprained back muscle and being a little scuffed up when I hit the ground. I think I'm more rattled than anything." McGee responded, snapping back to reality at the sound of his wife's soft words.

"How's Jimmy doing?"

"We aren't sure right now. He developed a complication and they had to take him back into surgery to figure out what the problem is and what needs to be done to fix it. It's been a while since the doctor was in here last. I'm hoping that someone tells us more soon."

"It's still hard for me to wrap my head around what happened." Delilah said as she rolled over to Breena. "How are you doing?"

"Honestly I don't know right now. I can't take this not knowing. I just wish someone would let me know what's going on. I need to know how my husband is. I want to be able to see him."

"I can't imagine what you're going through right now. I wish that none of this had happened. I want to be able to thank Jimmy for doing what he did. He is a hero. I hurt so bad for you that you have to go through this. Neither of us should have to."

"The only person I have anger toward is whoever fired that damn gun. I don't want you or Tim feeling responsible for this. I know that if the situation were reversed, Tim wouldn't have hesitated to do the exact same thing Jimmy did." Breena said, squeezing Delilah's hand.

"I definitely would have done the same." Tim agreed as they heard a soft cough coming from the doorway. The tension in the room was thick as the group in the room turned their attention to the surgeon who had just appeared.

* * *

In the quiet of their business class seats on the Transatlantic flight from Paris, Tony was staring out the window at the dark sky, lost in his thoughts. Abby had finally fallen asleep thirty minutes before and Tali was asleep next to him with her head resting on his leg. He had tried to get some rest himself but in the current situation he couldn't manage to fall asleep. Reaching carefully into his carry on, he pulled out his e-reader and found a book to hopefully lose himself in. Just as he had opened the book he had been reading, he heard Abby breathing rapidly in her sleep.

"No. This can't happen again. Once was bad enough."

Concerned, Tony reached across his daughter and placed a hand on Abby's shoulder. "Abby, wake up. You're dreaming. It's okay."

"What? Tony? What happened?" Abby mumbled groggily, staring at him in a mix of fear and confusion, blinking rapidly to anchor herself.

"You were having a nightmare, Abbs."

"Oh, God. It was horrible. I was dreaming that Jimmy got worse and the situation got direr."

"You're shaking like a leaf, Abby. Try to calm down and take some deep breaths. I do know how you feel though. It's hard not knowing what's going on. I'm sure it doesn't help that we can't get an update on things while we're in the air." Tony said quietly, reaching over and gripping Abby's hand gently.

"No. No, it doesn't. What about you? Why aren't you trying to get some rest? You must be tired, after I, you know, woke you in the middle of the night beating on your door."

"Yeah, I can't sleep. Ever since you told me what Tim told you about what happened my mind's just been spinning. I mean, none of this makes any sense. I've been trying to figure out how this happened and why, but I keep coming up empty."

"Me too. Why did I leave, Tony? I mean I could have taken a leave of absence, taken care of things, started the charity in Clay and his mom's honor and then gone back to NCIS." Abby said, her voice tight and stressed.

"I'm not sure where you're going here, Abby."

"What if I could have stopped this from happening if I'd stayed? What if I had been able to find something that could have led us to the whack job who did this before it happened? What if?"

"Abby, stop." Tony said firmly, squeezing her hand. He waited until she met his eyes before speaking again. "This is in no way your fault. Look, I know that this thing is going to be a crazy situation once we land in DC. Breena's going to need our support and I have no doubt that Tim's going to be tearing himself up with guilt. So, I'm sure we'll end up having to help Delilah to get his head on straight and how are you going to do that if you're doing the same thing to yourself?"

"You're right, Tony. I'm just scared and when I'm scared my mind runs wild and goes in, like, a million different directions at once." Abby began as Tony squeezed her hand again.

"It's okay, Abbs. You're not the only one who's scared. I'm scared too. I've been trying to make sense out of this whole mess ever since you told me what happened."  
"So how long until we land in Washington?"

"About 3 more hours. That puts us in DC about…." Tony paused, glancing at his watch, "4 am local time. Senior is going to meet us at the airport and give us a ride to the hospital and then he's going to take Tali home with him and keep an eye on her for me. This situation is rough and it's no place for a 5-year-old."

"I totally agree. I can't even imagine what Breena must be going through right now. I mean taking care of Victoria and coping with everything that's going on with Jimmy. She's got to be losing her mind. I mean, I know I would be. I wish this flight would just be over already. I can't stand not knowing what's happening. I at least want to get over land again so the in-flight Wi-Fi can pick back up so I can text McGee and find out the latest."

"I know what you mean. Hey, I have an idea. For distraction why don't you tell me what you've been doing for the foundation lately."

"I like the way you think, DiNozzo." Abby agreed, the old familiar spark in her eyes causing Tony to smile despite the tension that hung in the air.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

"What's going on with my husband?" Breena asked, walking over to approach the surgeon.  
"We finished the second surgery and he came through it better than anyone dared hope especially given the circumstances. I'm afraid the rest of my news isn't as encouraging."

"Why? What's wrong?"

"The reason that we had to go back in and operate a second time was because there was some damage to his liver that we missed. Apparently, the bullet nicked it just enough to do some damage and with the amount of internal bleeding that we had to control initially it wasn't apparent until it caused complications."

"What does that mean? What can you do about it?" McGee asked, his stomach twisting as he tried to ignore the bile rising in the back of his throat.

"We're going to monitor Dr. Palmer very closely. With the damage that was done it is possible that the body's own healing mechanisms will repair the damage and the issues will resolve themselves. However, if there isn't any considerable improvement within the next 24-48 hours then we will need to look at the possibility that the damage may be too extensive. In that case, we'll have to find a viable donor organ and perform a transplant. But let's cross that bridge when we come to it. Focus on the positive for now. He's still critical but his condition is more stable than before we operated again. He's definitely a fighter."

"When can we see him?" Breena managed to say, her voice barely above a choked whisper.

"He's in recovery right now. Once we move him back to the ICU, I can let you sit with him but only two of you can be in the room at a time. I'll come back and let you know once we get him settled."

As the surgeon left the group to process the latest development, McGee couldn't hold it together anymore as his stomach lurched and he heaved, the dinner he'd eaten before they had gotten the case signaling its impending reappearance. Trying uselessly to maintain control, he felt a cool hand rest on his neck.

"Just breathe, Tim. Try to breathe through it." Gibbs instructed as McGee paled and heaved once more.

"Nick." Bishop said, taking a small step to the side.

"On it." Torres replied, grabbing the small garbage can from beside him and handing it to Gibbs, who shoved it under McGee as he promptly emptied his stomach contents into it.

"Thanks guys." McGee said hoarsely once he had stopped being sick, relishing the gentle warmth of Delilah's hand over his as she rolled over to him, letting it warm the chill in his blood.

"What are we going to do?" Breena whispered softly, lowering herself into a nearby chair and resting her head on her hands.

"For now, we are going to do the only thing we can do. We wait and we pray for the best." Ducky replied gently, sitting next to Breena who leaned her head against his shoulder.

* * *

In her lab, Kasie heard an alert from her computer as she was coming back from the restroom. Rushing over to the desk, she punched a few keys to bring up the source of the alert and she paled at the translation of the calling card that Sloane had brought to her.

"Oh no. This could be very, very bad." Kasie said to herself as she ran from the room toward the door to her lab, only to expel her breath in a quiet grunt as she collided hard with something and felt hands grip her shoulders. She shook her head to clear it and adjusted her glasses as she regained her balance.

"Are you okay?" Vance asked, concerned at the alarm he had seen on the forensic scientist's face before she had plowed into him in her blind rush to get wherever she was going.

"Yeah. I'm so sorry, Director. I was in a hurry to find you and I didn't even notice that you were standing there."

"I noticed. What have you got?"

"Something that could be very bad. I was able to translate the calling card or note that Agent Sloane brought to me earlier. There's a link here that can't be good at all." Kasie said, handing the printout in her hand to Vance.

"Damn. Gibbs needs to know about this. Come on, I was about to head to the hospital to check in on things anyway. You can come with me."

"Yeah. Okay."

* * *

After a quick stop at his house to check on his son and bring him some take out, Vance pulled his SUV into the hospital parking garage. As he and Kasie got out and hurried into the building, Vance found himself counting his blessings for the crews who had gotten the worst of the snow and ice cleared off the highways which had enabled him to get here. As it was driving was still risky and it had taken them the better part of two hours to make a trip from the Navy Yard that would normally have taken less than 30 minutes even with a stop.

Walking into the waiting room, there was a tension that was so intense that it made the very air feel like it would collapse under the weight. Vance immediately walked over to Gibbs to get an update on the situation, momentarily ignoring the others in the room as Kasie stood quietly in the corner, too nervous to do anything but breathe.

"What do we know?" Vance asked.

"Let's step out into the hall." Gibbs said, not wanting to cause the others in the room any more stress than they already had, walking into the hallway with Vance and Kasie trailing close behind. "They had to operate on Palmer a second time, Leon. Doctors said that his liver was nicked by the bullet and they missed it at first with all the internal bleeding he had when they brought him in. They're watching him closely to see if the damage will mend on its own but if he doesn't show improvement within 24-48 hours then they're going to start looking into finding a donor organ for him."

"Damn. What can we do, Gibbs?"

"Other than hope for the best, you can tell me we're closer to getting the bastard who started this whole thing, Leon."

"That's where I come in. But I know you're not gonna like this." Kasie began nervously, pulling the translation from her pocket with trembling hands.

"Yeah, go Kasie. What've you got? It doesn't matter if I like what you have to say or not. If it leads us to the bastard who shot Palmer, I need to know."

"Agent Sloane brought me the message that Bishop and Torres found at the crime scene and I ran it through my computer translation program, and this is what it came up with." Kasie said, handing the translation to Gibbs who squinted to read it without his reading glasses.

"What the hell?" Gibbs exclaimed, trying hard to keep him voice down. "Are you sure this is right, Kasie?"

"Oh, yeah. It's right. I ran it through the program twice just to be sure. I'm getting bad energy from this whole thing and I'm not liking it. I have the feeling that this situation just got a whole lot worse."

"You have no idea how much worse. If this is right, this whole mess started because of a bastard who's been dead for over ten years."

"What's up, Boss?" McGee asked quietly, having come out into the hall to see what the huddle was all about. He could tell from the mood and the looks on their faces that there was something going on that he wasn't being told.

"Kasie's got something. You're not going to believe this. She ran this through translation twice to make sure." Gibbs said, handing the paper in his hand to his senior field agent.

_In the name and honor of my brother, Ari. Vengeance will be ours._

"This doesn't make any sense, Boss." McGee said in disbelief, reading the words again. "How the hell could this have anything to do with Ari? I mean, I thought we closed the chapter on that when Ziva shot him in your basement over ten years ago."

"I'm not sure, McGee. That's what we're going to need to find out. But one thing is for sure, we can't let Breena find out about this. She has enough on her plate without knowing that her husband is in a coma because of a dead guy who NCIS was tangled up with before Palmer's time."

"Good idea, Boss. What about Nick and Ellie? They need to know what's going on." McGee said, nodding his agreement with Gibbs's thoughts.

"I'll find a way to fill them in on this. We need to handle this very carefully right now, McGee. No need in getting everyone more upset than we all already are."

"Let's get back inside people." Vance said quietly as the others followed him back into the waiting room.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

It was just before 3:00 in the morning when the young nurse appeared in the doorway of the waiting room, smiling softly as she was met with several pairs of anxious eyes. She hoped that what she had to say would at least ease some of the nervous energy that was thick in the room.

"Hello. I came to tell you that we have Dr. Palmer settled back into the ICU and we can start letting him have visitors. It always seems to help in situations such as this for patients to have those they love around them. Unfortunately, we can only allow two of you in at a time."

"Breena, you need to go. Jimmy needs you. Why don't you let Tim come with you?" Bishop suggested quietly, not entirely trusting her own voice in the moment.

"I don't think I'm ready just yet. You go ahead, Ducky. It'll be comforting to Jimmy to hear your voice and know that you came back home to be here for him." Tim declined gently, feeling Delilah squeeze his hand in support as the others in the room nodded their assent.

"Ok. Are you okay to come with me, Ducky?" Breena asked, turning worried eyes to the older man sitting beside her.

"Of course, my dear. You won't have to do this alone." Ducky said, standing and helping Breena to her feet.

"Okay. If you would come with me, please." The nurse said, leading Breena and Ducky from the room as the others watched helplessly. "Now I do want to warn both of you about what you're going to see. Dr. Palmer is hooked to several different monitors and he does have an I.V. in one of his hands, so please take care not to dislodge that. Also, we do still have him on a ventilator for the time being because the doctor wants to make sure his system is completely clear of the anesthetic before he removes it. So please don't let that alarm you because it is only a temporary measure."

"Now I'm even more grateful that you're with me, Ducky." Breena whispered.

"Oh, are you a doctor?" The nurse asked, turning her attention to Ducky.

"Retired medical examiner. I first came to know Dr. Palmer when he was my assistant. In the intervening years he has become a member of my family." Ducky answered, allowing himself a small smile as he remembered.

"I know it will be comforting to him to know that you're here."

As Breena and Ducky slipped quietly into the room, the sight that met them took both of them slightly off guard despite the warning that they had received as well as Ducky's years of experience. Approaching the bed carefully, Breena lowered herself into the chair and gently took Jimmy's hand in her own, raising it against her cheek. The thought of her husband being in such critical condition caused Breena's chest to tighten painfully and she was unsure if she could get her voice to work. It wasn't until she heard Ducky pull up another chair beside her and rest his hand on her shoulder that Breena finally spoke.

"It's me, Jimmy. I'm right here babe. You aren't in this alone. Everyone is here waiting for you to come back to us. Ducky's here too. He's right here beside you. No one is going anywhere until you come through this." Breena whispered, continuing to hold Jimmy's limp hand against her cheek, her soft voice barely audible over the sounds of the machines in the room. In this moment Ducky got to his feet and moved to Breena's other side, reaching out to rest a hand on Jimmy's shoulder, keeping an eye on the readings on the monitors as he spoke.

"I remember something I once told you several years ago, Jimmy. During one particularly rough case we worked on together I told you that you had it in you to die a hero's death. I cannot say enough how desperately I want you to prove me wrong right now. You have too many things going for you. I hear you are filling my shoes admirably. You need to come back to the living, my dear friend. We all need you."

"Ducky can I ask you something? I know that you'll be honest with me."

"Always." Ducky said, retaking his chair.

"Do you think that Jimmy can come through this? I believe in him; I just want to know the truth about what we're facing here." Breena asked, almost afraid to hear the answer to her question.

"I know he can, Breena. Jimmy is very strong. The fact that he has survived this ordeal to this point is proof of that. His injuries would have killed a weaker man. However, I won't lie to you, it isn't going to be easy. To get Jimmy back on his feet, we have a very long road to travel. But you have my word that we will all be here for both of you every step of the way."

* * *

Back in the waiting room, Gibbs decided to take advantage of the fact that Breena and Ducky were sitting with Jimmy and fill the remainder of his team in on the latest in the case. If they were going to figure out how to bring the shooter to justice, he needed his entire team working together.

"We have a new lead in the case to identify the shooter." Gibbs said as Bishop and Torres came over to sit across from him and McGee.

"What do we have?" Bishop asked.

"Well, it may not be familiar to you Ellie, because the lead traces back to a case that's over ten years old, before either you or Nick came onboard. But Gibbs and I can fill in any holes for you." McGee began, handing the paper to Bishop as Torres stepped close to read over her shoulder as she unfolded it.

"Hey, wait, I think I remember reading something about this back when I first started at NCIS. Didn't this guy have something to do with the agent who used to work at my desk?"

"Ziva. Yeah, Ari was her brother. He was causing havoc in the country when he was running a Hamas cell here in Washington. Convinced the FBI that he was some sort of double agent in order to gain access to government intel. He actually shot and killed another of our agents."

"What happened to him? How did he get back in the country?" Torres asked, trying to catch up on the information.

"He didn't. He was shot and killed over ten years ago. The bastard confronted me in my basement and had me in his gunsight. Ziva took him out with a kill shot to the head." Gibbs clarified.

"Ok. Let me get this straight. This whole thing happened because of someone who's already dead. How does that make sense?"

"It doesn't, Torres. That's why we have to make it make sense."

"I'm sorry, did I hear right? This is related to the Hamas case from ten years ago?" Delilah asked as she rolled in from the hallway with cans of soda in her lap.

"Yeah, looks that way honey. Kasie translated this from something that was found at the crime scene. According to this whoever is doing this wants revenge for what happened back then." McGee said, moving to help his wife.

"What can I do to help? I had just started at DoD at the time, but I do remember the uproar that whole case caused."

"Can you see if DoD has anything that might link to whoever did this?" Gibbs asked, happy to have the extra help.

"Yeah. I need to get my laptop. It's outside in my briefcase in my van."

"I can run out and get it for you. Where is your van parked?" Sloane asked, speaking for the first time in over an hour.

"In the handicapped space on the first floor of the parking garage. Thanks, Agent Sloane." Delilah smiled.

"Sure. Be right back." Sloane said, putting on her coat and heading for the elevator, squeezing Gibbs's hand as she passed.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

An hour later, Tony and Abby's plane had just landed in Washington and, once they cleared US Customs, they headed out of the sterile area of the terminal to look for their ride. Balancing his carry-on bag on one shoulder while carrying Tali in his other arm, Tony craned his neck to try to get a glimpse of his father who was waiting for them. He saw the hand raise in the air in their direction at the same moment that his daughter began squirming excitedly in his arms. As soon as they had cleared to the public side of security, Tony set Tali on the ground, not taking his eyes off the little girl as she bolted away.

Anthony DiNozzo, Sr. was waiting for the group to appear once the arrival board indicated that their plane had landed. Then he saw his son craning his neck trying to see him in the distance, so he raised his hand in the air out of instinct, even though the group of people waiting to greet arriving travelers was very sparse given the early hour. Just then he saw a small blur of blonde hair and a coat as his granddaughter came streaking toward him the moment her father set her on her feet.

"Pop Pop!" Tali squealed happily as she closed the gap in moments and hurled herself into her grandfather's arms, giggling as he scooped her up into a bear hug.

"There's my girl! I missed you."

"Well what about me, Dad?" Tony said lightly, trying to keep the moment as light as possible with humor.

"Of course, I missed you too, Junior." Senior beamed, pulling his son into a hug. "How are you doing, Abby?"

"I'd be better if we were here under better circumstances, obviously." Abby said honestly.

"How are things going? Have you heard anything?"

"Not a whole lot, Dad. Abby texted McGee as soon as we picked internet back up on the plane and he said the situation isn't too good but that Jimmy's hanging in there. Other than that, we won't know anything else until we get there."

"Well keep me posted on how things are going. I can't believe that this happened, especially to Jimmy."

"Yeah. There's a lot of that going around in this nightmare." Tony said, changing the subject. "I appreciate you being willing to keep Tali for me for a while, Dad. Where we're going is no place for a five-year-old."

"I agree. Don't worry about a thing, Junior. You know I'll never turn down a chance to spend quality time with my best girl." Senior said, tickling Tali's side and causing her to giggle.

"I hate to break up this family reunion here guys, but we really need to get going. We still need to claim our bags. Plus, we don't know if we'll hit any residual traffic from the bad weather." Abby broke in, reminding them of the time.

"Abby's right. We should go."

* * *

The mood in the hospital waiting room was dark and somber, with McGee and Delilah working on her laptop in the corner combing through old DoD files. Gibbs was talking with Vance, trying to bring him completely up to date on the current case and situation, Sloane sitting close to him offering her support. Bishop had managed to fall asleep not long before, her head resting on Torres's shoulder as he chatted with Kasie, trying to keep her mind off things. Just then the sound of footsteps echoed in the hallway as Breena and Ducky rejoined them.

"How is he?" McGee asked, looking up from the computer screen as Breena walked over to them.

"The doctor was in while we were in there and told me that even though he's still in critical condition, he has stabilized. But Tim he looks so rough. I know he's fighting but it was so hard to see him like that." Breena said honestly, regretting her candor as she saw her friend pale, tears springing to his eyes. "Oh, God. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. I know this is hard on you."

"It's okay. Trust me nothing can cause me to beat myself up any more than I already am over this. I know everyone is telling me that this isn't my fault, but it's so hard for me to believe when Jimmy was shot saving my life." Tim said, wiping a hand across his face.

Gibbs and Sloane were beginning to become worried about Ducky. Since he had returned with Breena he had been very withdrawn and hadn't spoken to anyone. Walking over to the older man, Gibbs sat down next to his old friend, Sloane on his other side.

"Hey. You okay Duck?" Gibbs asked, a hand on Ducky's shoulder.

"I don't know what I am at the moment, Jethro. I've spent my entire career working with the dead and it never affected me the way I was by what I saw in that room. I don't think I will ever get that image of Jimmy lying in that bed out of my mind until the day I take my last breath." Ducky said honestly, pulling his glasses off to rub his eyes.

"Understandable, especially considering how close you are to Palmer. I mean, the guy's like family to you."

"Gibbs is right. It's normal that you would be upset by what you saw. In fact, if you weren't that's when I would really worry about you. From what I've heard since I came to NCIS, you've been more of a father figure to Jimmy than his own father." Sloane said softly, reaching over to take Ducky's hand in her own.

"Thank you both. I greatly appreciate the support. If nothing else I can say one thing with a great deal of confidence."

"What's that Duck?" Gibbs asked, curious as to what his friend was getting at.

"I now fully understand what it was that Jimmy was going through when he remained at my side in the hospital when I had my heart attack." Ducky said, his train of thought broken as they heard rapid footsteps coming toward them, gratefully embracing the distraction as Abby burst into the room like an explosion with Tony immediately behind.

"Breena! How are you holding up?" Abby asked as she rushed over, enveloping Breena in a comforting embrace.

"I'm hanging in there the best I can, Abby. I just saw Jimmy and it was very hard to see him that way."

As Abby talked to Breena, Tony walked over to McGee and Delilah. On his best friend's approach, McGee got to his feet, his hands shaking as he was pulled into a hug the instant Tony reached him.

"Hey, Tim. I'm glad to see you're okay." Tony whispered, holding tightly to his best friend, his Probie, the man who would always be the closest thing he would ever have to a brother. It was in that moment that he heard a slight hiss of pain coming from McGee and Tony pulled back and looked at the younger man in concern. "You okay? Did I hurt you kid?"

"I'm okay, Tony. I just have a sprained muscle in my back. When the shooting happened, Jimmy pushed me to safety and the doctor said I pulled it when I hit the pavement. I'll be fine in a few days. But I'm not the concern right now." McGee said earnestly.

"What happened, Tim? All I really understood from Abby's hysterical explanation back at my apartment in Paris was that Jimmy took a bullet at a crime scene and he had saved you in the process."

"That's basically what happened. Jimmy took a bullet for me. He had to have a second surgery a couple hours ago because the bullet that the doctors thought just barely missed his liver nicked it and caused some damage. It's pretty much a waiting game at this point to see whether the damage will heal itself because if it doesn't Jimmy will have to have a transplant."

"My God. I didn't realize. Have you been in to see him yet?"

"No. I haven't been able to bring myself to yet. When Breena went to see him before Ellie suggested I go with her, but I just couldn't, so I let Ducky go with her instead."

"I think you should. It might help you to see with your own eyes that Jimmy's alive."

"Tony, I can't. It's just like before…." McGee began, closing his eyes against the memories that assaulted him, unable to finish the thought. "I just don't think I can do it."

"Then think of it this way." Abby broke in, taking note of the conversation and coming over to them. "From what you told me when you called, Jimmy was shot to make sure you were out of the line of fire. Don't you think that it would help his condition to hear your voice. To know that he succeeded and that you're okay?"

"I didn't think about it that way. Thanks, Abbs." McGee said thoughtfully, pulling Abby into a hug and kissing her lightly on the cheek. "I don't think I can do it alone, though."

"You don't have to. How about I go with you?" Tony suggested, putting an arm over his friend's shoulders.

"Ok. If you're sure you don't mind."

"Would I have offered to come with you if I minded?"

"No." McGee admitted, chuckling lightly in spite of himself. "Thanks, Tony."

"Let's go."

"Hang on a second." McGee said, walking over to where Breena was sitting. "Hey, Breena, I was wondering if it would be…."

"Of course. Go." Breena interrupted as McGee gave her a small smile and left the room with Tony right behind him.


End file.
